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Are you a “teacher of redemption” in your classroom? Explain.
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I try to be as I discipline by giving students a chance to think about their actions, by not calling them out or embarrassing them in front of peers or just by making general statements to bring students back into focus. I try to have a gentle manner or if I have to be harsher, I bring it back to a place of caring about them and wanting for them to be and do better because I know that they can.
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In my classroom, I am honestly pretty strict when it comes to behavior like bullying, etc. It is not tolerated. However, every time a student acts out in some way like this, my co-teacher and I discuss it with the students involved, ask questions, help them understand why their behavior was wrong, and we move on. The next minute is literally a new moment. I’ve noticed that as each year progresses, my students grow by the grace of God.
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I can honestly say that there have been times that I have been overwhelmed with the work load and allowed it to become a burden on me. In these times, if I have been impatient, I have asked the students for forgiveness. Since I have received great grace through Jesus, I endeavor to give grace to the students. If there is a problem that needs to be addressed, I try to discuss it privately with a child and find out what is at the root of the issue. Often, we are only seeing behaviors because of problems the student is dealing with. This gives us an opportunity to pray and bring the love of Jesus into their pain.
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During one of my clinicals last semester, I taught a Bible course to sixth graders. As I taught them, I reminded them that I am merely sharing information with them that has been revealed to me as I studied to know the Bible better. I challenged them to think about what they were learning from my learning and to make a decision for themselves what they wanted to do with that information. They can take it and run with it, accepting it into their lives and allowing it to impact them. Or they could just leave the information on the worksheet and walk away. I encouraged them to look over what they had learned, study it, and decide what they will do with what they have learned.
As I begin my second placement as a student teacher in a week, I will be back into a Christian school setting again and look forward to challenging the second grade students I will be teaching with the same. They are already very thirsty for the Word and I love it! I can’t wait to share what I learn with them as we together seek God’s hand in every aspect of our lives and the content I will be teaching!
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I want to see my students grow academically and spiritually. If they do poorly on a test, I let them retake it or redo the problems they missed depending on the subject. Sometimes I change the test format and that may help them, or I work with them/provide resources for them to have extra practice at home on the skill before retaking the test. If a student does something wrong, I typically give them a warning of some sort depending on the behavior. If it continues, or if it needs to be addressed immediately, I talk to them privately. We talk about why their behavior is wrong and how it can be corrected. I never hold something against my students. We all have bad days and slip up, and part of my responsibility is to help them take responsibility and the proper actions to correct their wrongs and continue to grow in their learning.